Wire retaining device



April 26, 1949 w. R LL 2,468,035

WIRE RETAINING DEVICE Filed May' 28, 1945 INVENTOR.

Louis W. CARROLL. BY

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 26, 1949 WIRE RETAINING DEVICE Louis W. Carroll,New York, N. Y., assignor to International Standard ElectricCorporation,

New York, N.

Y., a corporation of Delaware Application May 28, 1945, Serial No.596,188

6 Claims. 3.

This invention relates to the supporting of aerial electrical conductorsand has for a principal object to provide an improved supporting orretaining device for attaching the end of the aerial conductor to asupport.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive retainingdevice which will hold the end of the conductor without the use of tiewires. Another object of the invention is to provide a retaining devicefor aerial conductors which will permit more efficient and time-savingmanipulation of the wires in making the installation.

Still another object of the invention is to pro vide a retaining devicefor an aerial conductor which may be simply and easily applied to theconductor and which is held in operative relation with the conductor bythe weight of the conductor in the span between the points of support.

The invention contemplates the provision of a retainer which, because ofits form, provides a snubbing effect which holds the conductor againstthe strain caused by the weight of the conductor in the span between thepoints of support.

The retainin device of the invention is particularly adapted forterminating conductors having thermo-plastic insulation which, becauseof its physical properties, such as its glossy exterior and lack ofadhesion, makes the conductor diificult to retain by ordinary methodswithout damage to its insulating properties.

The retaining device may be constructed of metal or other materialhaving sufiicient structural strength to withstand the strain involved,preference being given to porcelain, glass, or plastic material havininsu ating qualities against electrical current. It may be adapted foruse with single or multi-conductor wires by l'ilOCliflcation of thedimensions and contours at the points of contact between the wires andthe retaining device.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be betterunderstood from a reading of the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a preferred form of the retaining device ofthe invention showing the wire in place and also the attaching bail orloop;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the retainin device shown in Fig. l with thewire and bail omitted;

Fig. 3 is a sectional end view of the retaining device/of Fig. 1 takenon the line 3--3 of that figure but with the wire and bail omitted;

Fig. 4 is a bottomv view of the retaining device of Fig. 1 with the wireand bail omitted;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the retaining device with the wire and bail inplace; and

Fig. 6 shows the manner in which the retaining device is attached to awall or other support at the end of the aerial conducting wire.

The retaining device as disclosed in Figures 1 to 5 .comprises a fiatblock I, about twice as long as it is wide, of sufficient thickness togive the required strength to withstand the strains involved. On oneside and adjacent to one end is an integral pulley-shaped portion 2having a groove 3 of sufficient width and depth to accommodate one ormore turns of the conductor to be supported. On the same side of theblock I and near the center of the block is an oval-shaped integralsnubbing portion 4, the upper and lower ends of which are flush with theupper and lower edges of the block 6 and the lower end of which isprovided with a groove 5 of sufficient width, and depth to accommodatethe conductor to be supported.

On the same side of the block l and near the opposite end of the blockto that having the pulley-shaped portion 2 is a second integralpulley-shaped portion ll having a groove l extending completely aroundit of suihcient width and depth to receive the bail or loop 8 which isused for anchoring the retaining device to a suitable support such asthe wall ll shown in Fig. 6. The bail 8 comprises a single elongatedloop of heavy wire with the ends joined together, as by spot welding atit). The end ll of the wire of the loop 8 extending towards the block 5is continued far enough so that it will extend over the top of theoval-shaped snubbing portion As shown, the free portion of the loop 8 iscurved about a smaller diameter than that of the groove I of thepulley-shaped portion t and when the bail is snapped over the outerflange of the pulleyshaped member 6 the ball will be retained in theposition shown in Fig. 1 except that it is free to rotate about thecenter of the pulley-shaped portion 6.

In order to attach an aerial conductor l2 to an end support such as thewall 9 the procedure may be as follows:

The aerial conductor !2 is given one turn in a clockwise directionaround the pulley-shaped portion 2, the conductor resting in the groove3. The conductor is then passed under the oval shaped portion 4 where itoccupies the groove 5. The bail 8 is then rotated slightly in aclockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 1 so that the end I!is separated from. the top of the oval-shaped portion 5. That portion orthe conductor 52 which passes under the oval-shaped portion A is thenmoved into the space between the oval-shaped portion i and thepulley-shaped portion 3 and the bail 8 rotated again in acounter-clockwise direction so that the end i i thereof rests upon thetop of the oval-shaped portion i, thus closing the space between theoval-shaped portion d and the pulley-shaped portion 6 and holding thewire l2 therein. ihe bail 3 may then be attached to the wall 9 byslipping it over a hook I3 01' by securing it in any other desiredmanner to the wall. If desired it may be secured to the wall before thewire is attached.

It will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 6 that the weight of theconductor iii will tend to rotate the block l with respect to the bail 9so that the end i l of the bail is maintained tightly against the top ofthe ovalshaped portion i so that the slack end of the conductor i2cannot move out from under the oval-shaped member. The slack end or" theconductor i2 may then pass through a suitable insulator i i to beconnected in any desired manner without any of the weight of the mainspan of the conductor pulling upon it. A similar retaining device couldof course be used at the other end of the wire.

t will be seen from the above description that I have provided a simple,inexpensive retaining device for the end of an aerial conductor whichmay be easily and quickly applied to the conductor and which is securedin position on the conductor by the weight of the conductor itself. Theretaining device also permits taking up slack in the wire because thewire may be removed and replaced from around the retaining portion ofthe retaining device without disconnecting the end of the wire.

I do not intend to limit my invention to the precise details illustratedin the drawings as many modifications may be made which come within thescope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example,provisions may be made for more turns around the pulleyshaped member 2and if desired additional snubbing portions similar to the oval-shapedportion '3 may be employed arranged so that the conductor will passunder the first, over the second, and under the third, etc.pulley-shaped member 2 and snubbing portion l may also be altered toobtain greater holding efiects.

What is claimed is:

1. A retaining device for aerial conductors comprising a block, firstand second closely positioned members on one side of said block providedwith wire retaining grooves, the grooves of both members beingsubstantially tangential to the same line, said second member having agroove surface curvature about a materially shorter radius than that ofsaid first member, so that a wire wrapped around said first member maybe given a sharp reverse bend around a portion of said second ember,means on the opposite side of said second member from said first memberto maintain such reverse bend in a wire so bent around said secondmember, and bail means to anchor said block to a support.

2. A retaining device as defined in claim 1, in i which the means toanchor the block to a support comprises a bail attached to said block,and

The contours of the in which means is provided on said bail forretaining the wire in position on said block when bail is in operativeposition.

3. A retaining device as defined in claim 1 in w ii the means to anchorthe block to a support comprises a bail movably attached to said blockand provided with an end portion adapted to contact the second member ata point on the other side of the wire from the block when said bail isin operative position so as to retain the wire between the end portionof said bail and said block, said end portion, when said bail is movedout of operative position with respect to said block, being adapted tomove away from second member so as to permit the insertion and removalof a wire about said second member.

4. A retaining device comprising a block, a first member attached to theside of said block adjacent one end thereof and provided with a wireretaining groove extending around said member, a second member attachedto the same side of said block adjacent said first member and having eretaining groove thereon with a surface ature about a materially shorterradius than at of said first member and substantially ngential to a linetangent to the curvature of 1e groove on said first member, whereby awire ray be wrapped around said first member and ubjected to a sharpreverse bend around said econd member, a third member attached to theside of said block as said first and second veise bend in said wirearound said second ember, a bail movably attached to said block foranchoring said block to a support, and means on said bail to close thespace between said secand third members to retain the wire therein wb ensaid bail is in operative position and to open I space to permit theinsertion and removal oi said wire when said bail is moved out ofoperative position.

5. A retaining device as defined in claim 4 in which the bail ispivotally mounted on said third mber and the means to close the spacecomes an extended end of said bail, said bail being mounted so that theweight of the wire tends to hold it in operative position.

6. A retaining device for aerial conductors comprising a block, a first,second and third positioned members on one side of said block, memberprovided with a wire-retaining groove, the grooves of the first andthird members being tangential to the same line, said second memberhaving a groove positioned on its "nderside, said groove being of ashorter radius the grooves in said first and third members,

mcans to retain the wire in reverse bend between second member and theblock, and bail means to anchor said block to a support. LOUIS W.CARROLL.

CES CITED The following references are of record in the file of thispatent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 621,661 Harloe et a1 Mar. 21,1899 929,878 Ranson Aug. 3, 1909 2,138,571 Dehmel Nov. 29, 19382,309,971 McLarn Feb. 2, 1943

